Motion-picture apparatus



A ril 12 1927.

A. s. HOWELL MOTION PICTURE APPARATUS Original Filed July 1, 1922 2Sheets-Sheet v 1927. Apnl A. s. HOWELL MDTION PICTURE APPARATUSvOriginal Filed July 1, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [III/11111711101011!!! 4 QPatented Apr. "12, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT or ice.

Annaar 5.;

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Original application illecl July 1, 192 2,

The features of my invention relate to the film engagin randretainingdevices of the feeding 'mec anisni of motion picture apparatus with aview-toward the provision 5 of a simple, positive, and compact mechanismwhich is convenient in" lacing and unlacing the film and which is'we'lladapted for a motion picture projecting machine of the general characterdescribed and claimed" erence to the accompanying drawings and I moreparticularly pointed out v in the claims.

In the said drawin Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of -a motionpicture projecting machine embodying the features of my invention withparts broken away. i

Fi re 2 is a similar view with parts remogiid and with parts shown insection. v

Figure? is an enlarged perspectivevi'ew of one of the support plateswith film retaining rollers mounted thereon, hereinafter v themrearwardly.- In addition'thewall por- 85 described. g

Figure 4 is an enlarged section taken on the line .44 of Fig. 1.

' Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the lens mount member andparts mounted thereon, hereinafter described.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several viewsfReferring to the drawings 1 designates a 'gear casing of]a motionpicture projecting machine, and this casing has a narrow transverseextension in an opening in the front wall of which, is mounted avertical rear. film face guide plate 2. This plate has a light aperture3 therein through which --light from a suitable source at the rear ofthe latepasses for projection. The main v portion of the gear casing isseparated fromthe above-mentioned transverse portion by a verticalforwardly and 'rearwardly e t d.

are effected all as fully described with -re'f Serial No. 572,170.Divided and this a'ppllcatien nice-sprites 1924. 's riainmwsnoz iingwall 4. Mounted for forward and rear- .ward movemcnt'on' opposingforwardly and 'rearwardly extending vertically spaced slides 5 on theoutside of this wall is a lens mount member comprising a main tubularformation .6 alined with the aperture 3, an integral forwardly andrearwardly extending rectangular formation 7 at the i side thereof anddisposed in a vertical-plane,. the upper and lower' edge. portions ofwhich are engagedin' the slides 5, a transverse wall portion 8 spacedfrom the rear end of the tubular formation .6 and connected therewith by'means of a rearward extending portion of the rectangular formation 7and a connecting portion 9 betweenthe trans verse wall portion andthe-tubular formation 1 disposed diametrically opposite with respect 70.to the rectangularformation 7 The transverse wall portion 8 liesparallel with the plate 2, andohas iii-light aperture 11' regis-..tering with the light aperture 3 of the plate 2.- A- pair ofvertic'ally'extending parallel film guiding members 12 are mounted in asuitable openin in thewafll portion 8 on opposite sides of thelight-aperture 11 and are provided with shoulders 13, see Fig. 1,engaging the front surface of the Wall por-F -tion 8 to limit rearwardmovement of'the members 12. Springs 14 are secured to thefront surfaceof the wall portion 8 and:

centrally engagethe members '12 to urge 'tion 8 is provided withfilm'guiding rollers 15'. vertical film edge guide rail 16 is secured onthefront surface of the plate 2 on the outside of the aperture 3. Theouter sides of the slides 5 are formed by 00 spring Iates whose rearends 17 extend rearwar ly and are free for limited trans-. versemovement. These ends are vertically spaced and are disposed above andbe: w the aperture 3 on the inside thereof. 'See 5 Figs-.1, 2, and 4'.-Theplate 2, the. edge, guide rail 16, ends 17,- and the transverse wallportion'8 withthe parts assembled thereon as above set forth form anaper- I tured film feed guide, and the transverse .1. Wall portion 8with the parts assembled thereon forms a film face guide gatemovablebyreasonof the slide mounting of the lens mount member on theslides S in-"a div.

rection normal to the plane of a film in the guide into and out of filmretaining position. A film 18 is shown in the guide in Fig. 4. The rearportions 17 extend across the plane of the film in the guide at theinner edge thereof and individually engage the same to separately springpress the film edgewise with its outer edge engaged against the innersurface of the edge guide rail 16 whereby to exert tension upon the filmand to guide it with its outer edge alined with the inner surface of therail 16 throughout its length. A projecting lens 19 .is mounted in thetubular formation 6 for longitudinal adjustment therein and is alinedwith the aperture of the guide.

The film is moved intermittently downwardly in the guide by means of atoothed shuttle 21 at the rear of the guide plate 3 and operating uponthe film through a vertically elongated aperture 22 in the guide plate3, disposed between the aperture 3 and the inner vertical edge of theplate, and engaging usual perforations spaced longitudinally of the film18 adjacent the inner edge thereof and alined with the aperture 22. SeeFigs. 2 and 4. A light shutter 23 in back of the guide plate 2 operatingin timed relation with the shuttle serves to interrupt the projectinglight through the aperture 3 during movement of the film in the guide.

A pair of rotatably mounted constant feed film sprockets 24 are carriedby and disposed outside of the gear casing 1 adjacent respective ends ofthe guide and in film feeding alinement therewith for feeding the filmto and from respective ends of the guide. These sprockets are driven inthe same dircct-ion, i. e., countercldckwise, in Figs. 1 and 2, in timedrelation with the shuttle 21 in a suitable manner, the usualcompensating loops in the film being provided between the ends of theguide and the sprockets for compensating the intermittent feed of thefilm in the guide and the constant feed of the film on the sprockets.

' The outer surface of the wall 4 of the gear casing is provided with avertically extending relatively wide groove 25 disposed centrally withrespect to the film sprockets 24. .Mounted for independent slidingmovement in this groove normal to the axes of the sprockets and disposednormal to said axes is a pair of support plates 26 overlapped betweenthe sprockets. The overlapped portions of the plates 26 lie under thereetangular formation 7 of the lens mount member above described and areprovided with overlying opposite cam slots 27, disposed transversely ofthe movement of the plates,

which are engaged by a stud '28 secured on the rectangular formation 7of the lens mount member and projecting inwardly from the inner surfacethereof, whereby the plates 26 are moved vertically with horizontalmovement of the lens mount member and the film gate thereon along theslides 5 into and out of film retaining position. Two film retainingrollers 29 are rotatably mounted on each plate 26 by means of screwstuds 31 and are so disposed with respectto respective sprockets 24 thatdownward movement of the upper plate effects movement of the rollerscarried thereby into film retaining relation with the upper filmsprocket, and upward movement of the lower plate efi'ects movement ofthe rollers carried thereby into film retaining relation with the lowersprocket.- The opposite movement of each plate effects movement of therollers carried thereby out of film engaging relation with therespective sprocket. The cam slots 27 are so formed that rearwardmovement of the lens mount member to move the film gate into filmretaining position effects movement of the plates to move the rollers 29carried thereby intofilm retaining relation with respective sprockets,and opposite movement of the lens mount member effects opposite movementof the plates 26. Thus is provided a simple and effective mechanism forsimultaneously operating all of the film retaining devices into and outof film retaining position which is particularly adapted to motionpicture machines where two spaced film sprockets are utilized in thefeeding of the film to and from the film guide. The inner surface of therectangular formation 7 of the lens mount member has a vertical groove32 adjacent its front end, and

engaging this groove is slide block 33 which is mounted on a crank pin34 on a hand lever 35 pivotally mounted on an eccentric stud 36 disposedon an axis normal to the plane of the inner surface of the formation 7,,which stud is secured on a boss at the front end of the gear casing.When the lens mount member is positioned rearwardly with the gate in'film retaining position the crank pin is on one center with the stud36, and the lens mount member with the gate is locked in this position,and the plates 26 are accordingly locked with the rollers 29 in film.retaining position. A stop 37 on the gear casing prevents movement ofthe lever 35 past this center, and a second stop 38 on the gear casingprevents movement of the lever 35 past the opposite center. The filmretaining devices and related mechanism are shown in film retainingposition in Fig. 4, and are shown in the opposite position in Figs. 1and 2, the film retaining position of the lever 35-and the slide block33 being shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

While I have described and shown the preferred embodiment of myinvention I do not wish to be limited to the precisedotoils ofconstruction as changes may readily be made without departing from thespirit of my invention, butcam s ots' extending transversely o verselyof t e movement thereof, and an actuating member engaged in saidformation and movable transversely of the movement of the support memberfor effecting movement of t e support member.

2. A motion picture machine including two parallel film sprockets, apair of support plates overlapped between the sprockets and mounted forindependent sliding movement in a direction assing through the sprocketaxes and rovi ed at their overlappm portions wit overlying .op osifie te movement thereof, an actuating member movable transversely of the.movement of the plates and engaged in said cam slots for efi'ectingopposite movements of the plates, and film retaining members mounted onrespective plates in opposite'relation' with respective sprockets formovement with the plates into and out, of film retaining relation withrespective sprockets.

3. A motion picture machine including an intermittent feed film guideincluding a face guide gate mounted for movement 1n a direction normalto the plane of a film in the guide into and out o film retaining position, two parallel constant feed film sprockets' at respective endsof-the guide in film feeding alinement therewith, a pair of sup- I portplates dis osed normal to the sprocket axes at one si e of the filmpathandoverlapped between the sprockets and mountedfor independentsliding movement in a di-:

rection normal to the direction of movement of the gate and provided attheir overlapping portions with overlying o posite cam slots extendingtransversely. o the movement thereof, a stud engaged in said cam, slotsand secured with the gate "to effect movement of the lates with movementof the gate, and lm retaining members mounted on respective plates inopposite relation with respective sprockets for movement with the platesinto and out of film retaining relation with respective sprockets withcorresponding movements of the ate.

4. A motion picture projecting mac ine including a lens mount membermounted for axial movement, an apertured intermittent feed film guide atthe rear end thereof and including a film face guide gate on the rearend of the lens mount member for movement therewith into and out of filmretain- .ment in a direction normal to the movement of the lens mountmember and provided at, their overlapping portions with overlyingopposite cam slots extending transversely. of t e movement thereof, astud mounted on the lens mount member and engaging said cam slots toeifect'movem'ent of the plates with movement of the lens mount member,

and film retaining members mounted on respective plates in oppositerelation with respective sprockets for movement with the plates into andout of filmretaining relation with respective s rockets withcorresponding movements 0 the gate into and out of film retainingposition.

In witness whereof- I hereunto signature this 22nd day of April, 1924.

ALBERT-S. HOWELL.

